Dynamics of Machinery

Dynamics of Machinery (IMEC 2543) is a professional elective from the Mechanical Engineering Department at Universidad de los Andes. It addresses the design and operation of machines from the perspective of the movement of their constituent mechanisms, connecting classical mechanism analysis with the modern actuation that drives functional machines.

The course continues the line of Dynamics of Mechanical Systems, its prerequisite, and moves from modeling towards implementation: students end up building and validating prototype mechanisms.

Learning objectives

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Analyze the dynamic behavior of machines.
• Define a machine that meets established requirements and constraints.
• Understand how servo motors work for implementing kinematic trajectories.

Course content

Part 1 — Mechanism analysis

Degrees of freedom, constraints and schematic representation; kinematic analysis (forward and inverse kinematics) and kinetic analysis (forward and inverse dynamics), supported by scientific computing in Python and interactive examples such as a 2D RR robot.

This part closes with mechanical criteria — transmission angles and mechanical advantage — that make it possible to choose between different machine elements or configurations for the same functionality.

Part 2 — Synthesis and dynamic behavior

Mechanism synthesis and trajectory generation: students design mechanisms that reproduce specified trajectories, for example an articulated fish jaw modeled in CAD.

It also covers the correction of dynamic behavior through flywheels and balancing, the analysis of contact and interactions between links, and the transmission elements of motion.

Part 3 — Actuation and implementation

Types of motors and actuators, their servo control and their use in implementing functional machines. This is complemented with system identification, state estimation and experimental data analysis.

In the final workshop students build a Plot Clock: a double-servo SCARA robot that traces trajectories on a whiteboard, integrating synthesis, kinematics, actuation and control in a single prototype.

Methodology

• Lectures with prior reading and autonomy in consulting references.
• Three workshops throughout the semester: mechanism analysis, mechanism synthesis, and implementation with experimental validation.
• Occasional homework and in-class exercises.

Software

• Python (SymPy, NumPy, SciPy) — kinematic and kinetic analysis, system identification
• Autodesk Inventor — mechanism CAD and dynamic simulation

References

• Norton, R. Design of Machinery. McGraw Hill, 2005.
• Uicker, J. J., Pennock, G. R., Shigley, J. E. Theory of Machines and Mechanisms. International Edition, McGraw Hill, 2011.
• Hughes, A., Drury, W. Electric Motors and Drives: Fundamentals, Types and Applications. Elsevier, 2013.
• Smith, S. W. The Scientist and Engineer's Guide to Digital Signal Processing, 1997.